Barcelona – Crouched naked under a banner reading, “How Many Lives Just for a Coat?” 20 “skinned” members of AnimaNaturalis and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will confront people attending the Pielespaña International Leather and Fur Fashion Exhibition in Barcelona on Saturday. The protesters want the public to know that millions of animals raised for leather and fur suffer horrendously before being gruesomely killed. One activist will wear a body screen TV showing undercover footage of foxes, minks and other animals who are being electrocuted on fur farms and trapped in the wild:

According to La Vanguardia, more than 26 million animals, including rabbits, foxes, minks and sheep, are killed for their skins annually in Spain. The millions of cows, pigs, sheep and goats who are also slaughtered for their skins suffer castration, branding, dehorning and tail-docking – all without painkillers – before being bled to death. Although the leather industry promotes the idea that leather is simply an abattoir by-product, the US Department of Agriculture more accurately states that leather is the most valuable co-product of the meat industry. PETA and AnimaNaturalis want consumers to give leather the boot and choose pleather instead, which has all the feel of the “real thing” but doesn’t cost any animals an arm and a leg.

Animals trapped for fur suffer excruciating pain before being bludgeoned to death or drowned by trappers. Animals on fur farms spend their lives in tiny, filthy cages, before being killed by poisoning, gassing, anal electrocution or neck-breaking.

“We hope that by showing our skin, we’ll persuade people to spare animals’ skin”, says PETA Campaign Coordinator William Rivas-Rivas. “With all the fashionable, durable and luxurious synthetics now available, there’s absolutely no excuse to wear leather or fur.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation—a charitable company limited by guarantee, with its registered office at 125 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5AS. Registered in England and Wales as charity number 1056453, company number 3135903.